Teardrops on Roses
by Sorakitty
Summary: Legend has it that the morning dew is actually the fallen tears of those in heaven; and that those collected on roses are most pure, for they were shed out of happiness for meeting your loved ones once more. Veggie!Ed
1. Living a Lie

Title: Teardrops on Roses

**A/N:** Kitty here! Sora is currently somewhere else so I have to write this part by myself! Anyway, this is our first fanfic, so you're welcome to flame. I'm not particularly satisfied with it myself, so some constructive criticism would be nice. That way I can make the second chapter better! Oh and btw, this is based on the Veggie!Ed ending of Bluebird's Illusion. Look it up on wikipedia if you want to know what that is, but you don't really need to know for this story so...on with the fic!

**Disclaimer: **Wah! I don't own fma :( but I can dream can't I?

* * *

**Chapter 1: Living a Lie**

Alphonse Elric was a terrible liar.

He always would be, especially when it came to his brother, Edward. And he couldn't help but face the facts as he sat down to write yet another letter, a response full of false hope and naïve optimism. "Dear General," he began, and he paused before neatly drawing a line through 'General' after realizing that Mustang hadn't been a General for nearly three months now.

Although Roy had been easily promoted to the ridiculously busy position of Fuhrer after the death of King Bradley, and Al hadn't been anywhere near Central city since then, the man somehow kept up a steady flow of correspondence with the younger Elric. Letters that Al suspected the lazy Gen-, _Fuhrer_ wrote when he was supposed to be doing large quantities of inescapable paperwork.

Al shook his head when he realized where his thoughts had gone; he needed to stop wandering off like that. People might confuse him with Ed. He chuckled bitterly at that piece of dark humor. After all, his brother hadn't done anything but stare blankly ahead ever since…well, since Ed's selflessness had caught up with him.

At this, he glanced back at the bed behind him in the small room they shared. Subconsciously, he knew that Ed was awake. He felt uneasy, the way he always did when alone with Edward nowadays, and wanted to confirm his suspicions.

It was as if he was hoping to find some change in his brother's demeanor. Anything, anything at all that might give inkling to what lay beyond the glassy, lonesome bronze pools that had become of Edward's once vibrant amber stare. His eyes flickered upwards to meet his brother's, and his heart sank. There was nothing.

Although it was nearly the crack of dawn, Edward sat straight in his bed, staring unseeingly at the opposite peach wall, clothed in cotton baby blue pajamas with his hair frizzed and loose. _I should probably brush it_, Al thought absently. Ed blinked once, but there was not even a flicker of life behind the dull orbs, and Al merely sunk deeper into despair at the sight of his brother's deteriorating form.

The problem wasn't lack of nutrition, since Al made sure to feed Ed and give him water, but he could do nothing to exercise Ed's unused muscles. His body just wasn't accustomed to sitting around and doing nothing and it was unsettling to Al especially, seeing him this way. This was why he'd started looking for a cure from day one.

Alphonse researched and researched; medical journals, novels, and just about anything he could get his hands on, always checking his sources twice and once more for good measure. He'd even dabbled in medical alchemy, a controversial science that bordered on human transmutation. Still, he found little that could help and reported his meager findings to Mustang in their almost daily conversations.

But Al never told anyone just how low the chance of Ed's recovery was; he'd hire the occasional nurse or therapist and was told the same thing each time, but still he denied the statistics he'd been fed. He couldn't lose hope just because others had.

Then, when letters such as the ones Mustang sent him came, casually asking him how his research was going while slyly prying into his life in an effort to see just what he was hiding, he'd craft fake results and happiness and send the letter back with about as much sincerity as a sobbing crocodile. Of course, though he didn't realize it at the time, this only gave them even more reason to worry.

Al shook his head yet again. He really was getting distracted today. Exasperated, he glanced back down at the empty page in front him. It glared brightly back at him. He supposed that the fact that he had allowed himself a peek at Ed had scattered his thoughts somewhat, and decided in seconds that he should take a break, maybe go downstairs and get a snack.

As he stood to stretch, popping his back and arms, he glimpsed the sun rising up over the horizon, dark clouds in the distance promising a coming storm. Winry and Pinako would be up soon; this was their home after all. With a sigh, he walked to the stairs, glancing briefly at his brother before walking down.

* * *

"Good morning, Al." Winry greeted the younger Elric happily; it was good to see him downstairs in the morning for once.

She wasn't stupid though. She quickly noticed how his shoulders tensed when he heard her greeting from behind him, and knew the truth instantly. He had hoped she was still asleep. "Good morning, Winry." He shifted uncomfortably when he had turned to face her, fake smile in place already.

She sighed inwardly; why couldn't he just show his feelings? It was obvious how depressed he was, what with his constant need to be alone and the reluctant glee he felt he had to muster whenever anyone was around. Everyone knew that Al couldn't lie, so why did he try to anyway?

Still, she smiled back with just enough sincerity to make him believe he had fooled her. She just wanted him to be happy after all. He seemed satisfied with her small acknowledgement and smiled a little easier before turning to the fridge.

She waited awkwardly in silence, fidgeting as he pulled the small carton of milk from the fridge and a bowl and box of cereal from a cabinet. When he started walking to the table, she found the courage to speak first. "So…how's the research going?" Winry had been desperate for conversation; she cursed inwardly at the first topic she'd thought of. Al flinched, and then tried to cover it up by smiling broadly; a tight smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Great…I discovered something new on anatomical structure of the brain from some old research journals the other day…." He shifted uneasily in his seat, and she suddenly felt guilty for causing it. _Stupid_, she thought, _why'd I have to ask that question? Stupid, stupid!_ She eyed him apologetically, trying to communicate the guilt she felt for picking at such a sensitive subject.

"It's alright, Winry. You don't have to avoid things like that if you're curious." Al stared down at his untouched breakfast, embarrassed. "Besides, I'm making real progress in medical alchemy, so it's not as though I don't want to talk about it." Al's words eased her guilt, true, but she couldn't help but feel that he'd only said them for her benefit.

"You'd best not try your hand in that, boy." Alphonse froze, suddenly apprehensive. Winry wondered briefly why Pinako's words would trouble him so. The younger Elric turned to face the old woman, his face beaming but his eyes hard.

"What makes you say that, Granny?" His eyes danced in a sudden flash of lightening. Was that a challenge that Winry heard in his voice?

Pinako's forehead creased into a frown. "You know exactly what I'm talking about Alphonse." Her voice and eyes softened slightly. "Human transmutation isn't the answer. You of all people should know that."

Winry gasped slightly. _Human transmutation_? He was planning on trying that _again_? "Al! How could you try _human alchemy_?!? Especially when it _caused _all of this!"

Al glared heatedly at her and the force of his reply took her words away. "Ed threw away his life to get my body back, Winry. If I ignored a possible _cure_, then how could I ever face him?" Winry's renewed glare fiercely matched his own.

"If you did the same for Ed, then how would that honor his sacrifice? Would you two just keep bringing each other back until there was nothing left of either of you?!?" Her voice shook with overflowing emotion, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. There was a clap of thunder and Al was suddenly on his feet, his voice shaking with rage.

"If that's what it takes then I'm damn well prepared to make that sacrifice!" Winry's eyes widened and she sank to her knees, shocked by the cutting edge to Al's reply. He'd never raised his voice or cursed at her before, but now he'd done both. His breath was ragged, and he coughed hard into his hand as the rain began to fall.

* * *

Pinako looked from Al to Winry, her eyes growing somber as she watched her family breaking apart at the seams. She knew that this would happen eventually; ever since Al had brought Edward home, a shell of the person he once was, she had been wary. Now she could see only one solution to the problem.

She cleared her throat, steadying herself for the speech she was about to give. "Alphonse." One word. One word had him turning his fiery gaze to her, the unspoken response there. She licked her lips to moisten them.

"If this is becoming…" she racked her brain for a good word. "…an _obsession_," she paused, assessing the sudden calm she saw on Al's face. He wasn't going to like what she would say next. "Then I suggest we get rid of the problem." His face became a veritable storm of emotions, confusion at her statement, then shock, disgust, and a quickly heating rage that was no doubt fueled by disbelief at what she was proposing.

"Do you mean to tell me that you think Edward, my _only_ living relative, has become an obsession? That you want to _get rid of him_?!?" His voice was forcibly calm, cracking near the end due to an uncontrollable repulsion he now felt for Winry's grandmother.

"In so many words, yes. You must know by now that he has little chance of recovery, Alphonse. And his presence here is only straining you and this household." Pinako's face remained stoic, years of practice coming into play as she suppressed the pain of loss she felt.

She knew what would happen to Ed if Al agreed; she had taken part in that process more times than she'd care to admit. She even remembered how she had thought the families involved at the time cruel, although she now knew that it had been out of necessity that they allowed their relatives to die.

Al however was positively horrified. _Surely, Winry can't agree to this_, he thought, _Ed's as much her brother as mine!_ But Al found himself doubly shocked as a tear-eyed Winry stood shakily next to Pinako, saying something that had no meaning to him.

"…and you don't know if he's in pain or not, Al. It seems so much more humane to put him to rest this way, rather than just letting him live his life the way he is now." Al felt the salty liquid stinging his own eyes as he saw the logic in his family's words; but he angrily blinked the tears away before facing them, his own attachment to Ed getting in the way.

"Stop it! You're talking about Ed as if he's already dead to the world!" Pinako's eyes softened once again, seeing the pain and desperation hidden underneath Al's words. "Alphonse. You're being terribly selfish. I know this is hard, but you have to understand. You know Ed better than anyone, so tell me: would Edward want to keep living if all he could do was to eat or sleep?" Al's eyes dropped to the floor; Pinako was right and he knew it. But he just couldn't, he wouldn't accept her words.

"Well, since brother and I are related by blood, nothing happens to him unless I say it can." He met Pinako's gaze again, eyes determined and blazing. The rain started to pour harder. Winry turned to her grandmother, sobbing into her shoulder as Al refused to see the awful truth. "Can't you see Al? He's not coming back! Why can't you just move forward, like he would want you to?!?"

Al averted his eyes to hide his resurfacing tears. "I'm so disgusted that you would even _consider_ killing Ed that I think I've lost my appetite." With that said, he swiftly deposited his still full bowl into the sink and walked calmly upstairs, leaving his broken family to stare after him. There was a single flash of lightening and he was gone. Pinako sighed in the silence.

"I hope he knows what he's doing…."

* * *

When Al reached his and Ed's room, he instantly buried his face into the sheets of Edward's bed, letting loose the tears he had held in during the entire conversation in muffled sobs and gasps. He longed for his brother's voice, any words of advice or comfort that could aid him in his time of need. But as always, there was none.

"Brother, I need your help. I don't know what to do anymore." He gripped the sheets tightly in his fist as he remembered Pinako's words. "It's as though Winry and Granny don't see you at all the way I see you…they just see a burden that weighs down the family, not my brother, the hero of the people." Al sniffled, and was surprised to find himself coughing violently into his hand seconds later.

The splotch of crimson left on his palm afterwards had him looking back up to Edward, fear vivid in his eyes. "I…I can't believe…." He stared, incredulous, at the stain for what seemed like hours but was truly only a few seconds; his thoughts chaotic in his mind. A clap of thunder outside jolted him back to the present.

Hurriedly, he strode to his desk, deciding to get as much research done today as possible. After all, who knew how much time he had left?

* * *

me: Well? What did you think? Tell me in a review!! If I get five I'll make this a twoshot!


	2. Rain on my Face

Title: Teardrops on Roses

**A/N:**

me: As promised, here's the twoshot for five reviews!

Sora: Wow, Kitty! You actually did something right while I was gone!

me: Shut up Sora! Anyway, thank you soooooo much!! Six reviews in one night AND three alerts?? I practically died from happiness!!

Sora: Yeah, yeah. No one cares.

me: That's what you think :p but still, I can't begin to describe how much your interest means to me! I might just extend this to a threeshot! Oh and here are some replies:

**yoshei: **Lol coma Ed rox! Thanks, I will!

**TenshiElric: **Ok, ok! Here it is! throws story

MithLuin: Yup. I'm so mean to poor Al though XD

**Syolen: **Okiedokie! This story might actually run a little longer than I expected, but that's a good thing!

**Renneh:** Might be a threeshot! winkwink WITH AN EPILOGUE!!

**Night Rain Illusion:** You think so? I thought it was pretty crappy when I wrote it, which was why I didn't expect so many reviewers! (I would have made cookies if I knew)

**Anorak Myth:** Omg!! I'm so glad you liked it so much! And yeah, I thought that too about the Veggie!Ed thing when I first saw it ( ') Sorry, I can't tell you! If I told you that, then that would ruin the ending right? Besides, Sora writes depressing things, so you should take it up with him. XD But it won't end here, I promise!

Thanks again and please enjoy the story!!

Sora: Kitty doesn't own fma and neither do I. But she does own a…what? Kitty, I'm not saying this!

* * *

**Chapter 2: Rain on my Face**

Fuhrer Roy Mustang stared blankly at the page before him, rereading the letter again and again to make sure he had understood what it said. Hawkeye had dropped it off sometime around noon; it was no**w** a quarter past three.

But no matter how many times he read and reread the note, nothing changed. It was the same tear smudged paper, littered with delicate cursive delivering sharp, cutting words that could only have come from the woman who had been housing the Elrics for nearly five months now.

_Of course_, he thought grimly, _it was only the one Elric now._

He knew it would happen, the signs had been there. Al's reluctance to speak about Ed's progress, the way that blonde girl (was she called 'Winry' or something?) always seemed on edge when he called, and, most importantly, the strange letter Alphonse had written him, a mere two months prior to this one.

Roy remembered being thrown completely off guard, when Al's usually detached tone seemed anxious and worried in that letter. The younger Elric had detailed to him a small quarrel that had taken place in the Rockbell home, which right away was something he'd never reveal, and then continued to say what the argument had been about. Edward. Or, more specifically, Edward's existence.

He had been especially thrown by that detail, and had sent a response posthaste so as to further interrogate Alphonse on the matter. It consisted of a small letter, with a few sparse words of news in Central and a single, subtle inquiry: _Is everything alright, Al?_ So simplistic in nature, he could have easily been talking about a stressful job or perhaps a fight with a girlfriend, rather than the life or death of his only brother.

He _had_ wanted to call of course, as that was considerably faster, but he couldn't break the casual façade he had created in order to gently pry the answers from the teen. Roy thought that nothing else could surprise him after Al's sudden show of concern, that is, until Pinako answered his letter one week later.

_Al is very ill. We'll call if there's any change._

It was a single, detached line; the kind that doctors delivered to waiting families. Really more of a note than a letter, but it was just enough to cause Roy's entire world to come crashing down.

The poor man had thought that seeing so many of his friends die on the battlefield would prepare him for moments like these, but he was wrong. At least in those situations the blow dealt had been a shock, halting any pain and only fueling the rage he felt towards his enemy.

But this enemy had been invisible to him, and he had been helpless, utterly and completely _useless_, when Al's condition just kept getting worse and worse until finally it released him from its iron grip.

And handed him over to hollow embrace of death.

* * *

He strode purposefully towards his car, having already "asked" a timid young Sergeant to retrieve it for him. When he had seen the date of postage on the envelope of the note he'd been reading, he had nearly burst into flames of rage. Said letter, clenched in his fist, had been sent at least _two weeks ago_; an unfortunate detail that made the request for Roy's presence at the service _today_ a difficult one to acquiesce with.

But by a stroke of luck, the funeral did not begin for another three hours. So he had three hours to drive to Resembool. Yeah, right.

_Damn it, _he cursed inwardly, wanting badly to fry whoever was in charge of his mail.

* * *

Winry stood by Ed, trying her best to be strong, if only for her grandmother. Though Pinako probably had the only dry eyes within the group, Winry knew that the woman was suffering a pain much deeper than her own. Whilst Winry felt as though she'd lost her dear brother, Pinako was experiencing the death of her son and his wife all over again.

But as they lowered the simple russet brown coffin into the midnight pit, she felt the tears begin to flow. She squeezed her eyes shut angrily, willing herself to stay strong; but she couldn't stop them from coming once they'd started.

She hid her face from the crowd, and found herself dwelling on thoughts from earlier that day. That man Mustang hadn't shown up, and Edward seemed completely unfazed by Al's untimely death.

She suddenly felt an irrational rage towards them both. Why should she stand, bawling like a baby, when they act as though nothing happened?

Winry glared through her tears at the golden head of the elder Elric. Though she vaguely knew that it hadn't been Ed's fault that Al had died and that she was being ridiculous, she felt she could never, would _never_ forgive him.

* * *

Fair eyes that had dulled to bronze gazed upon the grim faces, rimmed in black veils and coats, standing around the strangely large brown box. Thoughts suddenly came to him in quick bursts of energy, before fading silently back into the background.

He couldn't understand why everyone was wearing black for one thing, or even why they were just standing around outside in the rain. If Al was here, he'd want Ed out of the rain; that much Edward knew for sure.

But for some reason, Alphonse wasn't at his usual place by Ed's side, and Ed had a suspicion that his caretaker's sudden disappearance had something to do with this strange gathering. He felt it was something fairly obvious, something that he was missing, but through the haze of his mind he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Plus, he was starting to get annoyed by the pouring rain outside. Although he was under one of the black umbrellas, he was getting wet. Especially when they started to lower the big box into the ground and everyone around him started choking on something. Something he couldn't see, as the unrelenting moisture started to blur his vision.

Why did the rain sting his eyes so?

* * *

Although it had taken the use of strange new forms of transportation called "planes", Roy had barely managed to make it to Resembool before the service was over. Unfortunately, he could see from a distance that all that remained now were the hunched forms of Winry, Pinako, and… Edward.

It was nearly six and the sky seemed to be reflecting the feelings of all those who had attended the internment; as there was not a dry eye in the small group that remained. Roy reluctantly prepared himself to explain his absence at the service, before he noticed something rather odd. A prickling feeling that told him that he had missed something very important….

And then it hit him. In a rush, he half ran, half walked the short distance to the clustered family; thoroughly surprising the Rockbell women and causing them to shout indignantly and incoherently at him.

But he was deaf to their screams. In a flurry of movement, he had grabbed the elder Elrics face in one hand and all but forced the teen to look at him.

There were gasps all around as the rest of the group caught the movement in time to see what Roy had seen.

Fresh tears, glistening in shimmering golden eyes; exactly where their owner had left them.

* * *

me: Sorry, I know it sucked but I was trying to finish it so that I could post it  Everyone who reviews gets fresh cookies!

Sora: And everyone who flames gets cookies AND milk!

me: Hey!


	3. Recovery

Title: Teardrops on Roses

**Disclaimer**: Why do I have to do this? is shown copyright Oh, that's why. Fine, I only own a few OCs and that's IT!

Couple of things beforehand:

me: Hey, Sora here. To answer you, Anorak, I…CAN'T TELL YOU! This is the last chapter, so it would be a spoiler to say anything now. But I will say that you can decide for yourself if this ending is happy, or sad.

Kitty: And don't forget!! There's a poll in our profile to see how many people want an epilogue!!! So R & R then vote!!!

**A/N:**

me: Oh. My. Gosh. I already have eighteen reviews and _two favorites_??? How and when did that happen? Last time I checked it was only seven!

Sora: Hm, people are actually interested in your fanfic? laughs

me: Shut up Sora!

Sora: I'm sorry; it's just, ha ha, too funny!

me: What …never mind. I don't want to know. Anyway, thanks so much for all the encouragement! Your reviews are my inspiration!

Sora: Because we all know she needs it!

me: ignoring him So, without further ado, here's the third (and final) installation of my

threeshot! (By the way, it's really long in repayment for the lovely reviews! XD)

* * *

**Chapter 3: Recovery**

Edward Elric was terribly confused; in all forms and definitions of the word. His only memory, one which he clung to with sheer fervency, was one of a smiling boy with kind gray eyes and a face that mirrored his own; only younger and wearier.

He had seen that face every day, easily memorizing the features of his one and only caretaker, the face of his brother, Alphonse. But Ed didn't know that.

He had merely known that this person still cared; and because of that Ed felt eternally grateful to him, wanting to keep this person happy and maybe even thank him one day. But, sadly, Al had disappeared and left Ed completely alone; a mere week ago too.

And not even the many smiling faces that now greeted him every day could replace the one face he wanted to see most.

* * *

Ed knew that he had done something good, because after the burying of the box _everyone_ was nice to him again. Even the lady with yellow hair, who usually made faces at him whenever Al wasn't looking. Well, when Al was still here, anyway. 

He still couldn't understand why everyone suddenly started talking to him and paying attention to him, but he figured it had something to do with the stinging rain from before, seeing as everybody seemed really surprised when the black-haired man saw it.

Oh, the black-haired man. Roy, everyone called him, or sometimes a funny noise that sounded something like the word fur with an 'oo' sound instead of 'er'. But that was beside the point. The fact of the matter was that Roy's heavy footfalls in the hall could be heard stomping towards his room.

* * *

The Fuhrer Roy Mustang tapped his foot impatiently as the woman at the front desk checked the list of room numbers again and again. Was it really _that _hard to find the name Elric? It wasn't a particularly common surname, so what was taking so damn long? 

Not to mention that the nurse was probably attracted to him, if the look she'd worn when he'd walked through the door had been any indication, so that made her occasional glance at him even more annoying than it would have been.

Luckily, before anyone could suffer intense third degree burns, she noticed his irritation and cleared her throat slightly before mumbling the room number with a sigh.

"…Room 10B, sir…" Hastily, he thanked her and stalked off towards the designated room, leaving an indignant and somewhat confused receptionist in his wake.

_At least it's not raining anymore,_ Roy thought sullenly.

* * *

As Roy opened the door, he heard an unexpected sound. A small, content exhalation of breath came from somewhere inside the room. He smiled warmly; it had only been a couple of days and Ed seemed to be recovering so fast. 

He surveyed the room, glad that, although it was quite small, it seemed to provide a wonderful environment for the elder Elric to recover in; what with a lovely view of the shining sun outside and beautiful, colorful flowers lining the walls inside.

After he'd walked into the room, Roy turned to face the small Ed-sized bed placed in the middle, complete with its very own chibi alchemist. "Good morning, Ed." he greeted, amused when the boy made several strange sounds in reply.

"Go-odd morn-in…?" He smiled again; obviously Winry had been trying to get Ed to talk earlier in the week. "Very good, Edward." He laughed softly when the blonde beamed at the praise.

"Now let's try some sounds…."

* * *

And so Roy's teachings began; always a few days apart from Winry's of course, so as not to overwhelm the poor teen with words and knowledge. 

But while Winry focused on trying to get Edward to remember things (a task that proved frustrating and extremely difficult for him) Roy's lessons usually consisted of sounds, which progressed into words, which eventually became whole sentences.

All of the lessons were verbal and involved plenty of patience and compassion from Roy, two things that he wasn't particularly good with, so the man was forced to learn a bit himself. Of course, this was perfectly fine with him.

After all, the lessons seemed to be going pretty well, and he enjoyed visiting the teen. Little did he know that eventually he would be faced with a challenge even more difficult to cope with than teaching. Edward's insatiable curiosity.

* * *

One morning, almost a month after their lessons together had started; Roy began teaching Edward how to ask specific questions. It had proved a difficult subject for the man to explain, so he had to develop this particular lesson with especial caution. Basically, he didn't want the boy asking the nurses awkward questions that only Edward himself could possibly know the meaning of. 

Still, although the situation started like many of their lessons (a friendly exchange of news from both parties, Ed's grammar slightly lacking of course), it slowly began its descent on a downward spiral of doom when Roy noticed a rather distracted Edward.

"What's wrong with you today, Ed? Daydreaming during class isn't like you." Roy chided with a small smirk. Ed flushed at being caught looking out the window again during the lesson before turning a glare onto his "teacher."

"Nothing's wrong! I'm just so…." He furrowed his brow in annoyance before brightening slightly, "confused!"

Roy eyed Ed apologetically; he'd known he wasn't good at teaching. "I'm sorry, Ed. What part of my lesson confuses you?" He found himself intrigued when Ed shook his head rapidly before replying, "Not that, not that!"

One of Roy's eyebrows arched as he looked at Ed strangely. "Then what is it?"

Now the poor boy looked embarrassed and, with a bright blush, mumbled something quietly under his breath.

If Roy wasn't so worried about him, he might have laughed at Ed's discomfort; but right now he really wanted to know what oh what could trouble him so. "Edward," he began, a serious tone creeping into his voice, "What's wrong?"

The blonde gazed up at him beneath long, golden eyelashes; as though he were ashamed by whatever it was he wanted to say. "Where…where's Alphonse?" Roy's breath caught in his throat; he could hear his heart pounding in his chest. How could he answer this?

He knew this would happen. There was no way that Ed could just forget all that Al had done for him, and Roy certainly didn't want him to, but there were times like these that he wished that Ed had never known about his brother. At least then he wouldn't have to explain Al's death.

Hours seemed to pass before Roy finally exhaled a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding and dared to speak. Fortunately, he'd noticed the window beforehand.

* * *

"Why don't we go outside? It's nice and warm today." Ed cocked his head to one side. He didn't know why Roy appeared to be avoiding his question; it seemed simple enough (almost stupid in fact, hence the embarrassment). He merely wanted to know where the boy who had taken such good care of him had run off to all of a sudden. 

After all, the old lady who visited wouldn't tell him and the blonde (Roy had told him that people with yellow hair were called that) girl would only burst into tears whenever he brought Al up.

So, he figured, why not ask Roy? He'd been pretty straightforward in his lessons, so why would he have trouble with a question that no one seemed able to answer?

But all those thoughts got pushed to the far corners of his mind when he heard the word 'outside.' Ed grinned widely and nodded enthusiastically at Roy's question.

He supposed he would remember whatever he'd been asking when they came back inside.

* * *

Roy had to stop to help Ed into his wheelchair (and some clean clothes), but soon after they were on their way. Thankfully, excitement from the prospect of going outside seemed to erase all thoughts of Al for now; but who knew how long that could last? 

Even as he beamed at the practically glowing boy in front of him, Roy couldn't help but feel the dread that came from the prospect of explaining to Ed exactly what had happened to his brother. Unfortunately, life in the military didn't exactly prepare him for little things called white lies. It was either the truth or nothing at all with him.

So, Roy may not have known how to "beat around the bush," but he certainly did know how to procrastinate. And procrastinate was exactly what he planned to do.

* * *

Edward grinned happily as Roy wheeled him into the sunlight, all suspicions and worries forgotten; completely replaced by the overwhelming joy he felt all the way down to his toes. 

He 'ooh'ed and 'aah'ed as they passed shop after shop; pointing excitedly at anything that caught his interest. This of course included just about _everything_.

As Roy saw people laughing at Edward's obvious delight, he couldn't help but laugh with them. The teen's glee was practically contagious anyway.

Finally, Roy pulled Ed to a stop when the blonde boy started to bounce in his seat; pointing at something and trying to get Roy's attention. The man followed his gaze and raised an eyebrow when he saw the cause of Ed's enthusiasm.

"A flower shop?" He chuckled. Ed looked like he was about to jump out of the wheelchair and try to run himself to the small stand. "Alright, alright. I'm going."

At this, Ed's eyes sparkled and he smiled as wide as he could; looking like he was stretching his face out to its limit. Roy chuckled again. When Ed got his memory back he was going to have hours of fun tormenting him.

* * *

"Look Roy! Look!!!" Ed pointed animatedly to a single blue rose, almost azure in the sunlight. "Isn't it pretty?" Roy smiled, his eyes crinkling. Ed seemed so childlike sometimes; it made him almost regret the progress he was making. 

"They're beautiful, Edward. Would you like one for Winry?" He grinned when Ed became bright crimson; a sheer contrast to the royal blue of the rose he held. "N-no thank you…" he mumbled, eyes trained on his lap.

Roy laughed and Ed stuck his tongue out; though he had said that Winry was sometimes mean to him, it was obvious that even with amnesia the boy still had feelings for her.

The poor salesman standing behind the cart seemed more than a little uncomfortable.

When Roy finally managed to control his laughter, he turned to the merchant. "How much are the blue roses?"

The merchant appeared to be young; a man no older than twenty perhaps with sandy brown hair and gray eyes. Eyes like Al's, Roy noted quickly.

But he also seemed shy, meaning that the flower stand was probably a family business that he had recently started taking a part in. Roy felt a twinge of sympathy for the young man when his eyes widened slightly.

"Th-they're…um…." Roy waited patiently as the clerk grabbed a list of prices and looked down the list for the rose. "Oh! They're 10,000. Each." Roy felt his jaw hit the floor.

"T-ten thousand?? I think you're off by a couple of decimal points there!" The merchant gave him a rueful look, "I'm sorry sir, but blue roses are extremely rare. We only get a shipment of about four or five each week; ever since our usual supplier stopped growing them that is."

Roy sighed. There was no way he was going to afford to buy five of those, or even one for that matter. Being the flame alchemist and Fuhrer doesn't allot much money for his "research."

"What's wrong?" Ed looked at the man, slightly worried that he should be so upset. Seeing this, Roy quickly grinned at the teen. "Nothing, Ed. It just looks like the only blue roses I'll be getting will be on my deathbed." Ed quirked an eyebrow and Roy quickly realized his mistake. Damn, he'd been hoping to avoid this awhile longer.

"Deathbed?" Roy cursed when he heard the inquiry, preparing himself to answer it without making anymore mistakes. Suddenly, Ed's face broke into a grin. "Can I have some on my deathbed?" The merchant sputtered and Roy's eye twitched a few times.

Obviously, Ed thought he meant an _actual_ bed instead of a figurative one. Great, now he'd have to explain figures of speech too.

But since he _really_ didn't want to do that, he chose the easy way out. "Of course, Ed." he replied wryly, "I'll give you a dozen blue roses on your deathbed."

After that, Roy decided that it was truly best to stay inside.

* * *

Ed felt rather strange this morning. A week had passed since the flower incident, and Ed had felt fine during that time, but today he felt abnormally cold. And his head hurt. Really bad. 

He supposed he should tell Roy when he came for lessons today, because being cold on such a warm morning couldn't be natural, but he didn't want Roy to worry. Besides, what did Ed know? It could just be some sort of side affect from going outside once and then staying inside all this time or something, right? Or so he thought.

But Ed didn't _know_ anything, and that was the problem. He only knew that he felt weird and that he was starting to feel weaker and more tired all the time; often times his throat was sore and his nose would run also, but he somehow managed to hide all of these strange occurrences from Roy, Winry, and Pinako (his most frequent visitors) for the first few days.

But that ended when, on the fourth night, Edward suddenly had a fever of one hundred and one degrees.

* * *

The Rockbell family ran to meet the doctor standing just outside of the emergency room, where Ed had been moved last night when his temperature unexpectedly rose, and immediately started grilling him for information. 

"Doctor, what's wrong with him?" Winry asked anxiously, worry growing as she watched Ed lying on a bed, sweating profusely. Her grandmother stood behind her, clenching her hands as she too watched on. They had been called in the morning and told of Ed's situation, but Pinako still had one question in her mind: How could Ed have gotten so sick so quickly?

"We're not sure, as of yet. There are quite a few symptoms present that have shown up in other recent cases, but it will take a few tests for a complete diagnosis." Pinako watched the doctor's face as he detailed the information. He was hiding something, she could tell. The detached tone, the gritted teeth; both signs of a doctor trying to keep the family of a patient calm, no matter how troubled they themselves may be.

"Doctor, if this happens to be like those other cases, how high is the chance of fatality?" The physician visibly flinched when the old woman spoke to him; an equally stoic tone masking the worry she probably felt. He felt hesitant to tell her the truth, but she knew the answer from his silence.

"I see." were her only words before she turned towards the ladies' room, wanting to be out of sight when she did finally break down.

* * *

"_Hello?"_ A deep voice greeted her, and she sighed in relief. She didn't think she could talk to anyone else right now. 

"Roy? Edward's…sick. Do you think you can come to the hospital?" Winry hoped she didn't sound too desperate.

There were the distinct sounds of crashes and curses on the other end and soon the voice spoke again. _"Sick? How sick? What's wrong? Is he okay???"_ She bit her lip. Should she tell him? No, probably not. Better to let him see for himself.

"Just come here, okay? Bye."

* * *

Roy stared numbly at the phone, frenzied thoughts coursing through his mind. What did she mean by 'sick'? Like a cold? Or was it something more serious? More importantly, was it fatal? 

His thoughts halted on that question. No, it couldn't be. If Edward died as well…he wasn't sure what he would do. God, he felt so damn helpless!

Why did everyone, _every single person_ he cared about have to die?

But he shouldn't be thinking about that. Right now, he needed to focus on doing the only thing he could for Edward.

Quickly, he ordered someone to get his car.

* * *

Roy strode determinedly past the receptionist and walked straight towards the first white coat he glimpsed. He had to take a few calming breaths to remind himself that the doctor wasn't at fault for Ed's sickness. 

"Where's...Ed?" He managed to gasp out. Strangely, the doctor seemed to know what he was talking about. "Emergency Room 15. Ask for Dr. Noriega."

Roy quirked an eyebrow when the doctor continued to stride right past him and into a waiting room, returning minutes later with the Rockbells. Roy turned a questioning gaze onto the family as they followed the doctor he had talked with; Pinako shook her head, as if to say '_Not here._'

He followed them, all the while pondering why Pinako had seemed so tense.

* * *

"Dr. Noriega, I presume?" the elderly woman's question was directed towards the young, female doctor standing in front of the door to the emergency room. The small group behind her waited fretfully for the information they had wanted from the beginning. 

"Yes. I suppose you would like to know the diagnosis now?" Pinako was slightly taken aback; usually the doctors would try a little more sugar coating before giving the good or bad news. "I would." She replied simply, bracing herself along with the others for whatever news there might be.

The doctor sighed; her job was truly one of the hardest in the medical field. "Well…the good news is that this is merely a case of the influenza virus and his fever has gone down considerably…" There was a double sigh of relief from Roy and Winry as Pinako seemed even more apprehensive than before. "And the bad news…?" Winry and Roy tensed, the same thought running through their minds: there was more?

"His immune system seems to have been weakened by the near-comatose state his body had been in and we're not quite sure how far the virus has progressed at this point." Winry felt tears gather in her eyes as she recognized the phrase. 'We're not sure' was just another way of saying 'don't get your hopes up.'

Roy stared in disbelief; no, it couldn't be true. There was no way Ed could possibly die, it just wasn't feasible. He shook his head, wondering at the surreal quality of those words; Ed and die didn't belong in the same sentence.

He snapped his head up when Pinako spoke again after what seemed like decades.

"Are there…" She had to take a deep breath to steady herself, "…any chances of recovery?" The doctor eyed the diminutive woman in front of her. Only a few minutes had passed and the doctor already felt an immense respect for her; where most people would fall apart, this old lady stood strong.

"Only time will tell." She sighed.

"May…May we see him?" Winry asked, stumbling on her words. The doctor nodded; these might be his last moments after all.

The blonde girl wiped her tears on her sleeve and bravely took the first steps into the room, Roy and Pinako not far behind.

* * *

Edward eyed the incoming group wearily; his eyes brightening with the smile he couldn't quite form on his lips. 

"Hey…guys…would you mind telling me…where the hell Al is?" The small party froze; that didn't sound like the Edward they had been spending so much time with at all.

Roy was the first one to speak, finding support in Ed's small curse. "Sorry, Fullmetal. Al's been gone for awhile now…" The others creased their brows together in confusion; since when did Roy call Ed 'Fullmetal' again?

"Oh…hey General Bastard, what are you…doing here? Actually…What am I doing here?" Realization struck Winry and Pinako at the use of Ed's old nickname for Roy. He was back. Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, was finally back.

Immediately, Winry ran to Ed's side, tears streaming down her cheeks as she buried her face into his sheets; all the while mumbling incoherently about everything that had happened in the last few months. Pinako merely stood off to the side, a single tear glistening on her cheek as she thought of the irony of it all.

Roy felt the tears beginning to well up in his eyes as well, and hastily blinked them away; deciding to walk forward and take hold of Edward's automail hand in a sign of comfort.

"Ed, I remember you distinctly saying that you wouldn't die before I did. Do you know how much work this is going to cause me? You could've waited to die until after you retired." Roy managed a small smirk underneath the tears.

"Shut up, General. You still owe me a dozen blue roses, don't think I've forgotten." Ed smiled slightly, a mere tugging at the edge of his lips.

Roy chuckled, a sad, choking sound that could pass for a quiet sob. "It's _Fuhrer_ Roy, Edward." Ed creased his eyebrows, trying to think of a good response. "Whatever."

Ed sighed out of exhaustion; his eyes already drooping slightly. "I think I might just go to sleep now, guys…"

Pinako felt her eyes blur slightly, and blinked furiously before answering. "Say hello to Alphonse and Trisha for us Edward." He snorted.

"You know I don't believe in that crap, Granny." She wrinkled her nose. "All right, all right, fine I will." Winry raised her head from Edward's sheets.

"Be careful, Ed." He looked to her, giving a quick nod of acceptance.

"Good luck, Fullmetal." Ed frowned at Roy and turned to look upwards.

"Here I come…ready or not, Al."

And as the smile left his lips and his grip on their hands loosened, they knew he was gone.

* * *

me: T.T 

Sora: T.T

Special Thanks to: **Syolen, Raiiyumi, Renneh,** TenshiElric,**Chibi Hayaku Hashiru,****A.YamiYugi,****Took-Baggins,****Skitty Kat Girl, Anorak Myth,** MithLuin,**Night Rain Illusion**

For reviewing and making this incredibly long chapter possible!


	4. Epilogue: Teardrops on Roses

Title: Teardrops on Roses

**Disclaimer:** I only own the wonderful feelings produced by this ending!

**A/N: **

me: Omigod! It's finally done!

Sora: Yeah, none of you voted in the profile (except for two, thank you who did) but we figured that everyone wanted this and Kitty got really tired of waiting

me: Behold, my impatience!

Sora: So here's the _real_ ending! For all you happiness wanting people!**

* * *

**

**Epilogue: Teardrops on Roses **(Finally! The title will make sense!)

Edward wandered the meadow for what seemed like hours; as though time crawled so slowly it was almost at a standstill.

He didn't know why he was here, because the last thing he remembered was feeling sick; and from there everything was fuzzy. He couldn't even remember how he got to the meadow in the first place.

But then an ostensibly insane idea crawled into his head; was he _dead_?

No, that definitely wasn't it. If he was, then the sweet aroma wafting lazily on the breeze would be nonexistent. Because you definitely couldn't smell when you were dead.

Not to mention that the grass was starting to tickle his mysteriously bare feet…wait, feet?

He glanced down, embarrassed that he hadn't noticed before, at two perfectly formed _flesh_ feet. A quick peek to his right side told him the same about his arm. _Uh, ok…that's…weird. _He thought, incredulity coloring his face before he burst into a smile.

_Well, I don't know how this is possible, but at least I have my arm and leg back!_ It was hard to resist the enticing temptation to frolic in the grass with his new found limbs, but all excitement was quelled when he heard a small sound; much like the fluttering of feathered wings.

_They have birds here, too?_ As he turned around, cautiously, he glimpsed something that was not at all a bird; but a small, delicately featured girl.

She seemed much younger and shorter, thank God, than him; but her eyes spoke whispers of wisdom, far beyond her years. Her hair looked as if it were made of chocolate silk; a deep brown with flowing smoothness, and Edward wondered briefly if it felt the same.

But as he approached the girl, whose equally brown eyes were averted from his gaze, she turned to face him. Suddenly, he felt a paralyzing wave of calm pass through him; his legs rooted to the spot, but his mind perfectly at ease with the situation for some reason.

And when she spoke, the feeling only intensified. She demanded in an authoritative voice that left all preconceived notions of youth behind, "Are you Edward Elric? Son of Trisha and Hohenheim Elric?" She continued in a much softer voice, "Only brother of Alphonse Elric?"

Although in any normal situation Edward would've answered with something akin to 'who wants to know?' but he felt the abrupt calm forming into an inescapable desire to tell the truth; so he did. "Yes." He said in a much quieter voice than he would've liked.

Her eyes filled with a deeper sympathy than he could comprehend, and his heart sank as he realized why. He was dead, that was true, but he also wouldn't be going to the same place as his mother and brother; obviously, he hadn't led the most virtuous of lives.

"You've led a difficult life." Were her only words before she became commanding again, "Come with me."

He followed her into the darkness, leaving the beautiful meadow behind and forlornly wishing he'd believed in heaven.

* * *

As they traveled, Edward felt an eerie sense of cold dread creep into his skin; even as the area around them grew warmer with each trembling, on Ed's part, step. 

No surprise there, soon they'd be in the fiery pit called Hell, where the little girl would leave him to suffer for all of his past transgressions.

But he was terribly surprised when there was a light at the end of the dark cavern.

"What's that?" He inquired curiously of the young girl; silence his only answer. He nearly gave up listening, when she finally spoke, "You'll see." Was it just him, or did she sound like she was laughing?

He sighed, if he was going to Hell, than he had one sadistic angel guiding him.

* * *

Finally, they reached the edge of the tunnel; bright, white light blinding him. But although he couldn't see, he knew that this couldn't be Hell. For one, there was no fire, although the light was comfortably warm, and for another thing, the angel beside him was smiling quite vibrantly now. And that was just disturbing. 

"Wh-where are we?" Edward asked hesitantly; he wanted to confirm things, even though he had a sneaking suspicion of exactly where he was.

The angel turned a kind smile onto him, speaking in a soft quiet voice that only made her seem more childlike, "Home."

After an eternity of squinting into the streaming sunlight, he saw them. Two figures on the horizon, standing there as though waiting for someone. _Home, huh?_

He smiled and wiped away the beginnings of sparkling tears in his golden eyes.

Yes, he was home.

* * *

A few months had passed since the extinction of the family Elric. But no matter how much time it had been, everyone agreed that the loss was no easier to bear. 

The service for Edward had been much like the one for Alphonse; ending with him buried in a grave adjacent to his brother. It was almost ironic, how in life they had been inseparable and were now the same in death.

But irony did not save one from grief.

Those were Roy's thoughts on the subject, as he walked languidly towards his car. Now he would have so many graves to visit; people might just mistake him for a dead man himself.

He laughed bitterly before stealing a glance back towards the cerulean offering he'd lain out in front of the Resembool graves. _One for each of them_, he thought as he climbed into his car; driving into the sunset until his next visit in a year or so.

And although no one saw the man place the roses on the graves, they all knew it was him. But when they would see the morning dew collected on the perfectly sculpted azure petals, only one thought would come to mind.

That it was the fallen joyous tears of the Elrics; reunited at last.

* * *

Thousands of miles away, two brothers stood in front of each other; perfect and whole for the very first time. 

"Welcome home, brother." Alphonse spoke through unshed tears.

"You sound as though you're glad I'm dead, Al." Ed replied playfully, his own tears starting to fall.

"I'm not." was his simple reply, before taking Edward by the hand to go and greet their waiting mother.

But, as we all know, Alphonse Elric was a terrible liar.

* * *

me: Yay! it's a frame story now! (for those of you who don't know, it's a story that begins and end in the same place; in this case, the same sentence XD)

Sora: Well, review and stuff because it makes us happy!

Thanks to everyone:** Anorak Myth, Empress Kiritsubo, A. YamiYugi, TenshiElric, Chibi Hayaku Hashiru, Taranova Xonson, Syolen, Raiiyumi, Renneh, Took-Baggins, Skitty Kat Girl, **MithLuin, **Night Rain Illusion, yoshei**

For reading, reviewing, and/or favoriting or alerting! You made all of this happen!!


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